An Interview with Omar Ebrahim

The Mumble – Hello Omar, so how are you enjoying the city of Edinburgh?

Omar – Edinburgh is a great city and its National gallery is also home to the amazing seven sacrament paintings by Poussin! A lot to enjoy.

—

The Mumble – What is your take on the story of the Suppliant Women

Omar – First and foremost this play shows us the power of a chorus in a drama. In this case the chorus is formed of the women of Edinburgh

—

The Mumble – How are you finding working with the Lyceum’s triumverate – Gray, Greig & Browne

Omar – This play is very old and much of the work has been a kind of archaeological exploration based on what versions and fragments of the original text exist. The triumvirate (David Greig, Ramin Gray, John Browne) have invited us to join in this process through discussion, revision and encouragement to refire the imaginative engines that Aeschylus summoned when he first made the play.

The Mumble – There is also a lot of input from the local community – could you tell us more about this

Omar – The community have been working on material that John Browne has written as settings of David Greig’s translation for this piece. They have learnt by ear and so have formed a strong bond between themselves as a group. They have learnt dances and stagings and their presence as the central energy source is very clear.

—

The Mumble – Finally, what is the future for this production?

Omar – After the performances in Edinburgh we go on to Belfast and then Newcastle with different groups of women who will have undergone the same preparation process in order perform “The Suppliant Women” in theatres there.